Welcome to Germany

Amber and I just spent the week together in Germany and France. She flew in early Saturday morning, at the start of her spring break and the end of mine. Together we did the weekend in Paris and then returned for a couple days to Vallendar.

First thing Saturday morning I packed my bags and took a train to meet her at Frankfurt. Our train to Paris was early afternoon so we got to explore Frankfurt a little bit, though I will say Paris has it beat, hands down. And so, one minute we were cruising at 300 km/hour, and the next we had arrived. There are certainly parts of Paris that are, let's say, "cultured" -- watch your back -- and our hotel was at the edge of one of these areas. While the walk from the train station was less than impressive, my views about Paris only got better from then on. On that first colorful and cool evening we walked the plaza around the Louvre, had a native dinner (only complete with escargot), and checked out the Eiffel tower. Every hour on the hour the entire thing erupts in an explosion of twinkling white lights, which you can see across the whole city. It really is spectacular.

Our next two days of tourism passed quickly: Sunday morning we packed ourselves into the Louvre for a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, followed by a small but stylish wine cellar tour, complete with 3 glasses of wine each and 2 bottles to take home. After a quick stop at the great Notre Dame cathedral my hunger for cheap 3 course meals was satisfied in the Latin quarter. The streets were lined with small but surprisingly nice cafes and restaurants, all of whom staffed a front door person who's only job was to get you in their restaurant. We settled on a place that smelled of (stinky) cheese and once again had snails, among other things. Monday was by far my favorite day, progressively seeing more and more of the city as the day went on. We started at the Sacré-Cœur, which had some spectacular views of the sprawling city. After a crepe-filled brunch at the bottom, we proceeded to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, which offered an incredible 360 degree view at about twice the height of the first stop. All roads lead to the Arc, which is pretty neat. Finally, to fully complete a trip to Paris, we left the afternoon for the Eiffel Tower. The views were breathtaking and unending, and it was easily the best thing we did, in my opinion--I am a more of a check-out-the-views kind of person than she is. We of course got champagne at the top.

The next two days we spent back in Vallendar, Koblenz, and a couple surrounding cities. She finally saw my school, my city, my friends, and where I live, which means a lot to me. We toured two local castles, lazed around an appropriate amount, and cooked a nice dinner. Then, she left, Thursday morning at 4 am...really Amber, did you have to get such an early flight? Anyway, it was a much needed get together, and I love that it happened--almost as much as I love the girl.